


among our stars

by Skyescraper



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Confessions, First Kiss, Gift Exchange, He gets it, M/M, Shiro (Voltron) Needs a Break, Surprises, and the universe, he deserves the world, its shiros birthday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:01:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22952230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyescraper/pseuds/Skyescraper
Summary: Shiro doesn't really celebrate his birthday. Being in a war in space makes it even harder to do so.Luckily, someone will aways take care of him. As many times as it takes.---Shiro's birthday exchange fic for @Misttiique
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43
Collections: Shiro Birthday Exchange 2020





	among our stars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Misttiique](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misttiique/gifts).



Shiro should've known something was up. 

The last few days had been filled with hushes and whispers which disappeared as soon as he walked into the room, glances from the paladins and hidden smiles. 

He hadn't thought much of it, Lance usually always planned some prank together with Pidge and poor Hunk, and Keith often knew about it, but didn't care much for them. So, yeah, he had just pushed it away and had moved on, doing his usual routine on the Castle of Lions. 

As he woke up, he immediately knew, there was something off. There was a sticky note hefted on the inside of his door, stark yellow against the metal grey. Nobody came in his room undiscovered, he had a light sleep, which was a result of his- ah, rather unfortunate experiences in Galran captivity. 

Except for one person, but, strangely, it wasn't Keith's handwriting on the note. 

Shiro frowned. This all didn't make sense, neither did what the neat scrawl on the note said. 

“Something's waiting in the kitchen for you” 

Well, that didn't sound ominous at all. He decided to take it slow and finished up in the bathroom, scowling at his slightly outgrown undercut. He'd need a new haircut soon, it was just slightly hard to find a barber in space. A barber which specialized on human hair. Either that, or he'd do it himself. 

But that was a worry for another day, now he had to find out what this mysterious note meant, and what exactly was waiting in the kitchen for him. 

Shiro didn't see himself as a nervous person, but he certainly felt anxious as he walked through the empty hallways of the Castle towards the open kitchen door. It didn't sound like anyone was in there but that didn't make him feel any better.

He felt a bit ridiculous as he poked his head in and glanced in the room but better safe than sorry, right? There was, as expected, not a single soul, but what did catch his eyes was the huge tablet on the counter, on which various dishes were placed which he couldn't recognize from afar. 

What he recognized though, was the smell. 

Home.

Shiro sucked in a sharp breath and his eyebrows rose. Why did it smell like childhood and comfort in here, like warm summers with cicada chirping, like rainy evenings, thunder rolling over them. This was a kitchen in an alien ship in space, there was no way his mothers- 

He walked towards the tablet and, yeah, that definitely was a miso soup, or at least the space version of it, for there were some ingredients he didn't recognize, some splashes of colour which didn't belong. Still, it was as close as it could get to the traditional Japanese dish. 

And it was his favourite. 

He hadn't had it in years. Only his mother and grandma made it so well, and he hadn't seen both in a very long time.

Only one person knew about Shiros favourite food. 

He swallowed, blinking away the moisture in his eyes. He now also saw the small note next to the dishes which said “For Shiro, enjoy” 

His stomach grumbled in anticipation for the delicious meal waiting for him and he looked around the otherwise empty kitchen, searching for another hint to as why he suddenly had his favourite meal in front of him. As expected, there was no clue to be found.

He shrugged, he'd find Hunk later and ask him, Hunk was the one who would know about it. Nothing happened in the kitchen without him knowing. 

But also- no one could cook that well in this team except for Hunk. Shiro finally scooped up the tablet and sat down on the long table. Well, he'd eat first, it was supposed to be for him, and he wouldn't want it to go to waste, a miso soup didn't taste as good when it was cold.

Still wondering, but now also determined, he raised a spoonful of soup to his lips and carefully sipped on it. 

Whoa.

Shiro blinked rapidly as his eyes got teary again. It tasted just like back when his mother made soup after school or when he was sick. Even the hint of a bit too much dashi, just how he liked it. 

Again, there was only one person he had told about that, but Keith was a lousy cook, there was no way he made that without setting the kitchen on fire. 

Shiro smiled fondly, either way, he was very thankful for it.

When he finished up, trying to get the last droplets of precious soup, Hunk peeked into the kitchen with an anticipating grin. Before Shiro was able to say anything, he gushed.

“How is it? I tried to make it exactly as described but I'm no expert at Japanese food.” 

He beamed at Shiro, whose eyes widened.

“As described-? It's awesome, just how I love it. Thank you Hunk!” he told him honestly, but he kept thinking about the “as described” part. Hunk literally glowed by now. 

Shiro started to get up to put the dishes away and to clean up when Hunk seemed to remember something.

“Ah, also! Happy Birthday Shiro!” he pulled the older man in a hug. One of Hunks bear hugs, no one could get enough of. Shiro basically fell into it, despite his surprise. He hadn't even realized it was his birthday today, he hadn't thought about it in forever. Pretty much since they went to space, it was hard to keep track of the time and date here. It didn't matter to him, more so, he got sad when he saw which date it was supposed to be on earth, it was a reminder of how long they already were gone. 

Still, he asked.

“It's really my birthday today?” he asked, a bit disbelieving. 

“Yep!” came Hunks muffled answer as they still were squished in their hug. “It's even a leap year!” he pulled back, beaming at him. 

Shiro laughed softly.

“Wow, I guess I lost track of time up here. Thank you, Hunk” he told him earnestly. 

“Of course! You deserve a break” he patted him on the back. 

“Also, Pidge is waiting for you in the storage room, I think she wanted to show you something” he mentioned, a bit too casually. “I'll finish cleaning up in here.” he took the tablet from him and basically ushered him out of the kitchen.

Huh. Seemed like they had planned something else. 

Shiro smiled softly as he left Hunk to his rummaging in the kitchen and made his way to Pidge's territory, the storage room. He never would have expected them to plan something like that for his birthday, especially if not even he himself had remembered it. But again, only one person on this ship knew about his slightly special birthday. 

He knew Keith somehow had planned this. 

Now nervous, he arrived at the workroom, or rather the room in which Pidge and Hunk loved to tinker around with various materials and tools. 

He knocked softly and waited for Pidge, but the door swooshed open by itself. 

“Hi Shiro!” She looked up from whatever pile of metals and wires she was currently working on. 

“Good morning Pidge, Hunk told me to-” he greeted but she interrupted him.

“Yes yes, wait here, I got something for you” she scrambled up to rummage around in a corner. 

Seconds later she gave a triumphant “Ha!” and came back to Shiro, holding a little inconspicuous silver ball in her hands, barely bigger than a tennis ball. 

“So, this thing- you press this button” she showed him a small dot on the surface of the silver ball. “And then- look” a soft whirring noise resounded from within the ball but suddenly sounds of a forest were playing, birds chirping occasionally, the wind causing trees to rustle and sway. 

Shiros eyes widened.

“And if you press it again, short, you can skip to another scene, like a beach or a campfire or even the sounds of a mall with people, even though that's pretty noisy. Press the button longer than three seconds and it will turn off.” she held the ball out to him which he took carefully.

“I heard you have trouble sleeping in the silence of the castle.” she mumbled, adjusting her glasses in a slightly nervous gesture. “I thought a bit of background noise could help you, but sadly we don't have mp3 players here, think of it as a space mp3 player.” she explained. 

Shiro finally stopped gaping, his body catching up with his thoughts. 

He smiled, and if his eyes got a bit misty, that was because of the dust in the air. 

“Thank you, Pidge. It means a lot to me” he whispered and stepped forward to hug the youngest member of their group. Pidge had taken precious time to create something like that for Shiro, and he already knew it would help immensely with his sleeping situation. 

And again, only one person knew about it, he had only told Keith about his sleeping problems, and how the static humming of the castle made him restless.

Pidge hugged him back, hard.

“Happy birthday Shiro. Take care of yourself” she mumbled, tightening her arms around his waist.

“I will, thank you, Pidge” he answered, just as soft.

They stood like this for another few minutes until she pulled back. Shiro pretended to not have seen how she wiped her eyes quickly. 

“So, anyways, Lance is probably bouncing out of his skin by now, he's waiting for you in the lounge room” she told him, smiling, while she pushed him towards the door. Shiro laughed, startled. 

“Even Lance?” he asked and she grinned mischievously. 

“You'd be surprised” she told him, “now go, you don't want him to freak out.” 

That, Shiro supposed, was true. He didn't want Lance to ruin that potential surprise. 

Still, Shiro kind of hadn't expected the whole team to do something. As for now it only had been things only one person knew about and Shiro couldn't deny that his heart skipped a few beats. Keith really would put that much effort in planning something for Shiros birthday?

He decided to push those nagging questions to the back of his mind for now, as he made his way to the lounge room, the small silver ball warm in his hand. 

As he arrived in there, Lance was already there, as expected. He was sat on the big couch, leg bouncing restlessly, but immediately peaked up as he saw Shiro coming in. 

“Hey, birthday boy.” he got up with a grin, and Shiro saw the wrapped gift he had tucked under his arm. 

“Lemme give you a hug” Lance was someone who go right to it when he was excited about something, and it wasn't different today. He basically jumped towards Shiro and he couldn't help but to be excited as well. Lance had something about him, which made people smile with him. The Black Paladin chuckled as Lance finally hopped in his arms, enveloping him in a big hug. This was another thing about Lance, even though he was lanky and tall, he gave really good, warm hugs, the best right after Hunk's. 

He pulled back after a few seconds, beaming at him. 

“There” he pushed the wrapped gift towards him. The plain yellow paper was crinkled at the corners, due to the contents not being firm. As Shiro took it, he felt something akin to fabric. His eyebrows rose. Clothing?

He threw a questioning gaze towards the other boy who smiled encouragingly at him. 

“It's nothing scary. Just- someone told me you get cold easily, and with the Castle being chilly in general, I thought this could be useful for you.” he explained, nodding towards the still wrapped gift in Shiros hands. 

He ripped the paper, eyes widening as he saw the black-violet knitted sweater. He held it up, admiring the clean work. It also looked like it was just his size. 

“Put it on, put it on, I wanna see if I got it right!” Lance gushed, already excited again. Shiro still hadn't found the right words to express what he was feeling yet, so he did as Lance said, taking off his vest and tugging on the sweater over his long sleeved shirt. 

It fit perfectly and he immediately felt warmer and way more comfortable. 

“So soft-” he mumbled, still marvelling at the fact that Lance apparently had knitted this for him. 

“Sooo- you like it?” Lance asked carefully, a sliver of insecurity in his voice and Shiro nodded quickly.

“Honestly Lance, I love it.” he blurted, smiling at their Blue Paladin. “It feels so soft and comfy, and it helps a lot. Thank you.” he tugged Lance in a hug again. 

“I'm glad.” he smiled. “Keith wouldn't stop making a fuss about it, he made sure I'd finish it in time- oh, whoops, now you know who planned it.” he grinned mischievously and didn't sound sorry about his slip-up at all. Still, it only confirmed what Shiro already had suspected. Keith was the one behind all this. 

“Ah- well, I probably should find him and thank him as well.” Shiro mused, getting slightly nervous but Lance interrupted him.

“Nope, first you'll get picked up by Allura and Coran in a few minutes.” he said “They got something for you too.” he told him with a pat on his back and Shiro, again, got nearly overwhelmed with gratefulness. He'd never expected they'd celebrate his birthday, let alone something like that. 

Before he could cry all over poor Lance, the door opened and as promised, Allura and Coran stepped in, excited smiles on their faces.

“Shiro, my boy!” Coran greeted him in his cheerful manner, wrapping him in a short but hearty hug. “We both wish you very well for your special day.” he stepped back and Allura enveloped him in a hug as well, which lasted a bit longer. 

“We got something for you, which we hope will please you greatly.” she patted his arm as she pulled back. “It is a short walk away, we hope you don't mind, the way there shouldn't be hard to memorize.” she explained as they pulled him out of the lounge room, leaving a giddy Lance behind, who pulled his helmet out from the back of the couch as soon as the group left the room.

“Hey, Keith, Allura and Coran got Shiro, everything went well!.” He whispered into it to which he got some rustling and a nervous intake of breath as an answer. 

“You'll be fine, samurai, go up there and be here for him, I think he can't wait to see you.” Lance smiled, fully supportive of the Red and Black Paladin. 

A few hallways further into the castle, Shiro stood in front of a unsuspecting metal door, one like all the others in the castle. 

“Well, there we are!” Coran exclaimed, twirling his moustache. Shiro looked at Allura quizzically, but she only smiled secretly and nodded at him encouragingly. 

“Well, here goes nothing.” he thought, and finally dared to open the door, which slid aside with a hiss. 

Shiros gasped.

A wide room opened up before him, the wall on the outer side consisting almost entirely of windows, revealing a wide view of space. 

Unlike the control room, here were no technical devices, nor anything that could be used as controlling tools. Just a big sofa was stood in front of the huge window. 

It was a perfect place to rest and watch the endless expansion of the universe they had in front of them.

Shiro took a careful step into it, releasing a breath he hadn't known he held in. Sometimes he forgot how beautiful space could be, with the war going on around them, sometimes he felt bitter and lonely up here, encased by the cold walls of the castle. 

But this, this made his heart beat faster, almost child-like wonder prickling through him. The view of planets in the far distance, swirls of galaxies, hues of stardust. Shiro could see himself spending hours in this room. 

Alluras soft voice brought him back to them.

“This rooms purpose is to solely enjoy the view of our surroundings. My father built it in because he wanted us to have something to go when we needed a calm moment. We heard you'd like something like this, so we decided to show it to you.” she explained, resting a slender hand on his shoulder.

“The other paladins do know of it as well, but they also know of it's meaning.” she whispered. 

He turned around to the two Alteans, slightly overwhelmed. 

“I don't know what to say, Allura, Coran, thank you so much!” he felt like his words weren't even close to what he felt at this moment, but he didn't know how else to express it. Their knowing smiles told him that they knew.

“You're very welcome, my boy. We are glad we could give you something like this.” Coran smiled at him, Shiro was able to see the fondness shining in his eyes.

“Coran, I think I remember something we have to readjust in the control room.” Allura declared, a bit too out of the blue to not be planned. They both hugged him one last time before they exited the room, the door falling shut behind them with a soft thud. Well, they surely were gone fast.

Shiro took a deep breath, turning around to the windows again. He actually needed a moment. He' d search for Keith after that. Nervousness rose up in him again.

Keith had planned all of this, he had put so much work and thoughts in this, roped all the other paladins in this ridiculously huge thing. 

Shiro couldn't fathom what this meant, yet. He knew, something was about to change, but he couldn't grasp how much exactly. 

He sat down on the sofa, taking in the view before him. Unbeknownst, a soft smile slipped on his lips, here he felt he belonged. Space has always been his passion, the thing which had made him dream as a kid, made him motivated as a teen and made him successful as a cadet and pilot. 

There had been bad things, there was a war going on, he had been held captive for a long time, yes, but he still was connected to space like the moon to the sun.

Just in the moment where Shiro decided to get up and search for Keith, the door swooshed open again, an in stepped a certain Red Paladin. 

Shiro scrambled up, the little silver ball of Pidge still clutched in his hand, still wearing the sweatshirt Lance had knitted for him, flustered and still in awe. 

He caught him in the right moment as it seemed. 

Keith walked up to Shiro, their gazes never leaving each other. They still hadn't said anything, but Shiro felt like it'd destroy whatever moment they were having right now. 

Finally, Keith reached him, his hand playing with the hem of his black shirt, violet eyes nervously flitting through the room. 

Shiro was glad he wasn't the only one feeling like he'd explode any moment. 

“Hey.” he whispered, and Keith seemed to come back from whatever headspace he had been in, eyes finally meeting his.

“Hey.” he mumbled back, lips quirking up in a small, unsure smile. 

Shiros heart clenched. He was nervous. Keith being nervous was a rare occurrence, usually he pushed forward without hesitation.

“Keith-I-” he began, but trailed off. How could he put his gratefulness into words? 

“Did you plan all this?” he asked instead, even though the answer was obvious. 

Keith nodded.

“The others did all the work though, I just- gave them some input, what you'd like and how. I didn't do that much.” he dismissed with a shrug and the other paladin frowned at his obvious dismissal of credit.

“Still, thank you Keith, this is way more than I'd ever wished for.” he smiled and before Keith could react, pulled the other one in a tight hug. After a few moments, Keith returned the hug, visibly relaxing as Shiros arms wrapped around him. 

“You deserve it.” he mumbled as they stood in front of the huge window facing the stars. Then, he seemed to shake off his anxiety,

“You deserve so so much, Shiro, and I wanted to give you at least a little bit.” he pulled back and finally, there was his Keith. Determined and focused. 

Shiros heart did a little somersault.

“Ah-” he blushed. “You know, you all being here with me is already worth so much” he rubbed the back of his neck, watching Keith's reaction. 

He shook his head. 

“With this war going on, sometimes its hard to focus on the happy things.” he said, “and I wanted to make you happy again, even if its nothing big.”

Shiro was screwed. Who would have known Keith had such a caring nature?

Well, he guessed, it came out sometimes. Mostly when it was about Shiro. 

“Still, Shiro-” he hesitated. “I haven't really gotten you anything. So- what do you want for your birthday. From me?” he asked, and Shiro glanced at Keith's hand, whose thumb kept rubbing over his knuckles in his nervous habit and almost missed how Keith took a tiny step towards him. 

Almost.

“Keith, you have done so much-” he started but got interrupted by a scoff and another small step in his direction.

“Please Shiro, it's your special day- anything you want?” he kept insisting and Shiro decided to take the leap.

“Okay, yeah- there is something.” he murmured, eyes slipping down to Keith's lips, lingering there for a few heartbeats, and slipped up to meet his now knowing gaze again. 

Keith smiled, oh so soft. 

When did he get so close? Shiro didn't mind though. 

“I thought you'd never ask.” Keith whispered and finally, oh finally, leaned up to meet Shiros lips.

Keith's lips were warm, slightly chapped and he was a bit too enthusiastic, but- it was Keith. Shiro couldn't imagine anything better than that. It wasn't fireworks and exploding stars. It was way better, it was unique, it was them, together. 

His arm curled around Keith's waist to tug him closer, to feel his warmth and Keith leaned even closer, one of his hands playing with his hair.

In an absurd spur of the moment thought, Shiro decided to not cut his hair yet, he liked the way Keith played with the lightly longer strands.

Shiro couldn't believe this was happening, it had been in his dreams for too long, but right now he was so happy. The happiest he had felt in a while. 

It seemed like Keith had been successful in making him happy.

The Red Paladin pulled back and smiled up to him, hands still rested on his shoulders. 

“Happy birthday Shiro.” he whispered, and leaned forward to kiss him again. 

This, Shiro decided, was officially the best birthday he'd ever had.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is it :3 I really hope you enjoyed it, it's been an important project for me to do, and I'm glad I was allowed to be a part of the Shiro's birthday exchange.
> 
> We have to celebrate our best boi after all. He deserves it, and so much more!


End file.
